HBO Max is a great place to stream summer movies — from mainstream Warner Bros. hits to indie gems from A24, the Warner Discovery platform has it all.
This summer, we’re recommending five movies that feel just right for when the sweltering heat has you down.
Featuring stars like Hailee Steinfeld and Gary Oldman, these movies check a lot of different boxes — horror, drama, documentary and more — but they all have summer in common.
Check out Watch With Us’ five must-watch summer movies on HBO Max below.
‘Sinners’ (2025)
Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror movie musical dramedy wasn’t technically a summer blockbuster — it was released in April — but its recent addition to HBO Max makes it feel like a summer streaming blockbuster, if such a thing exists. The movie follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan in both roles), two gangsters who attempt to take the money they earned working for Al Capone in Chicago and open a juke joint for their Black community in rural Mississippi in 1932.
The otherworldly musical abilities of their cousin Sammie (newcomer Miles Caton) attract the unwelcome attention of a charismatic and powerful vampire (Jack O’Connell), whom the brothers must fight off with the help of their past lovers (Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku) before the night is over.
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Sinners is hot in every sense of the word — sexy, violent, sweaty and a constant topic of conversation. Take this opportunity to watch it on Max.
‘Barbie’ (2023)
“My job is just … beach,” says Ryan Gosling’s Ken in this mega-hit movie. In the summer, we relate. If you need a break from “beaching off,” it’s never a bad time to revisit this iconic film from Greta Gerwig.
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The sunnier half of the phenomenon we once called “Barbenheimer” stars Margot Robbie as a Stereotypical Barbie, who begins experiencing “irrepressible thoughts of death” and must venture from Barbieland to the Real World to help whoever is playing with her. When she does, she learns some hard truths about patriarchy, womanhood and humanity — but some beautiful lessons as well, especially from Gloria (America Ferrera). It’s a bright, colorful movie that’s as pretty and pink as Barbie herself.
‘The Meg’ (2018)
If the 50th anniversary of Jaws wasn’t enough to give you a delightful chill whenever you head to the beach, check out The Meg. Jason Statham stars as a search and rescue diver who discovers that a giant (and we mean really giant), prehistoric dinosaur-shark is alive (and hungry) in the depths of the ocean’s trenches.
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Does The Meg feature the intellectual, thought-provoking sort of fun that you’ll get from Sinners or Barbie? Absolutely not. Is it a ridiculous, splashy B-movie that dares to ask the question, “What if sharks were way bigger???” Yes, it is. If you like monster killing and stunts, The Meg is a perfect summer watch.
‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ (2024)
James Gunn’s Superman is about to soar into theaters for what feels like the millionth attempt to immortalize the Man of Steel on the big screen. But there was a time when making a movie about a comic book hero who could fly seemed like a ridiculous idea. This documentary explores the origin of the original Richard Donner Superman movie, which plucked young Juilliard graduate Christopher Reeve from obscurity and made him America’s hero. Reeve’s career was tragically halted when a horseback riding accident left him paralyzed, but his heroic spirit allowed him to make a difference in the lives of the disabled community with his activism.
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This moving documentary features not only exclusive footage from Reeve’s family, but also interviews with celebrities who knew him and his close friend Robin Williams — Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Bridges and many more shared their perspective on the actor’s inspiring life.
‘Parthenope’ (2024)
Head to the Italian island of Capri for a sexy summer with Parthenope Di Sangro (Celeste Dalla Porta), the beautiful daughter of an affluent Italian family who named her in honor of Napoli itself. Gary Oldman is a welcome addition as English writer John Cheever, one of the many men who are fascinated by Parthenope. As the young woman comes of age, she begins to understand the power that her beauty holds over the people around her.
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The plot of Parthenope movie is secondary to the stunning setting — the rocky shores of Italy, the sparkling blue water and the stunning costumes that change to reflect the Italian fashions of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. If you want to be transported into the life of a gorgeous Italian heiress, this is the movie to get you there.
